


Sunflower

by koashi



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 08:38:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17179595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koashi/pseuds/koashi
Summary: He feels Keith’s breath hitch and sees the moment both Hunk’s and Pidge’s hands curl into fists. The three of them take a step forward, hands finding one another as they draw Allura back for a moment.No. Of course, it’s all of them or none of them at all. Shiro, shakes as he steps forward too, but something appears to stop him. An invisible force field that draws him back. The outline is familiar as he turns quickly and sees Atlas hovering behind him. The ships eyes shine and convey to him that he is not allowed to go.He spins on his heel and turns back to the rest of the Paladins. Mouth open in shock as he tries to process what it means.





	Sunflower

“The amount of quintessence needed to undo my actions is immense, the cost is-”

“I know,” the princess stands and pulls the other altean up with her. Her words are deafening as the the paladins can do is watch. The two alteans share a look, a silent conversation between them before they settle on an agreement.

Shiro feels his heart shudder as he watches Allura turn her back to them. Honerva gives them an apologetic look before turning and walking towards the blinding light.

They can’t do anything, all of them grounded in this astral plane of what’s left of the universe. The pit of his stomach curls so badly Shiro has to hold back from throwing up. This isn’t how it should end. Allura, after ten thousand years is only going to be joining the fate of thousands of Alteans. She doesn’t have a choice and if she did she seems to have come to terms with it.

He wants to stop her, but he can’t. Every single paladin knows they can’t be selfish. The realities that existed and would have existed are gone due to their inability to protect it, it’s their fault that things ended up like this. A series of events that each and every one of them struggled to keep up, but again and again they were shown that even with the most powerful weapon in the universe they were only human.

Shiro sees the way Allura’s eyes shine with tears as she glances over her shoulder to look at them one last time, a sad smile that wrenches his heart. He has to shut his eyes and mute the world for a moment, he can’t see her like this.

“No,” the only person who it could possibly be is Lance.

When he opens his eyes he sees that he’s crossed the invisible threshold, his hand gripping Allura’s.

“I’m not letting you go alone,” Lance says, stealing his voice as he stares at the altean.

He feels Keith’s breath hitch and sees the moment both Hunk’s and Pidge’s hands curl into fists. The three of them take a step forward, hands finding one another as they draw Allura back for a moment.

 _No_. Of course, it’s all of them or none of them at all. Shiro, shakes as he steps forward too, but something appears to stop him. An invisible force field that draws him back. The outline is familiar as he turns quickly and sees Atlas hovering behind him. The ships eyes shine and convey to him that he is not allowed to go.

He spins on his heel and turns back to the rest of the Paladins. Mouth open in shock as he tries to process what it means.

All of them are holding one another’s hands, smiling as they look towards Atlas. Behind them the outlines of the lions wait.

“No-” he slams his hand against the invisible wall. “Keith-” he can’t seem to find the words as his throat feels as if it’s stuffed with cotton.

“You’ve done enough Shiro, let us finish this.” Allura amends, attempting to ease the pain blooming in Shiro’s chest, but it only makes it worse. “Your path goes on, ours ends here.” She glances to each of the paladins who all nod.

“You protected my brother, my family Shiro, this is the least I can do.” Pidge breaks out a wide grin, “Go, be great.”

_No. No. No._

This isn’t supposed to be happening. He feels the prinkles of tears in his eyes.

“You’ve lead us and taught us a lot Shiro, thank you, “ Lance smiles and pulls himself a little closer to Allura.

“Just make sure to tell my Mom and Dad I’m sorry, thank you for everything Shiro.” Hunk breathes in deeply, swinging his hands with both Pidge and Keith who go along with it.

He can see that all of them are nervous, an unbearable feeling resting on their shoulders and the fear of the unknown. The light behind them shines a little brighter and seems to whisper to the paladins as all them look back for a moment, watching it as figures begin to appear.

The old paladins, Allura’s mother and father, Zarkon with his wife and Lotor all stand in waiting, but there are more figures some he doesn’t recognize.

“Shiro.” Keith’s voice draws him back.

The former black paladin feels a chill run along his back, “Keith, please, no,” he pleds. He feels his heart breaking. “I love you, please Keith-” he can’t lose him. Not like this. After everything, he hasn’t repaid Keith, not in the way that it matters.

Keith’s eyes glimmer with tears and he ducks his head forward shaking his head. “I told you Shiro, that I would save you as many times as it takes, you’ll have to protect the universe for us-” he hears Keith’s voice crack and he slams his fist against the force separating them.

“Thank you Shiro,” The mop of black hair shifts and Shiro can finally see his face again. He’s held back the tears and he gives Shiro an all too knowing smile.

Allura seems to decide that it’s time. She steps back and tugs Lance along with her. The paladins follow her lead, Keith is the last figure. Their footsteps echoing in his ears before the other gives Shiro one last look before turning away for good.

“No, no, Atlas, you have to let me go-”

 _It is not your time._ Her words whisper in his head as he drops to the floor. A bright light incompasses everyone and Shiro can only see the blurry figures of the Paladins as they wave back to him.

* * *

Shiro gasps for air as he drops back into his physical body. It takes him a moment to process his surroundings, Iverson and Veronica are looming over him as he blinks and looks around.

“W-what,” the visions of the Keith and everyone come slamming back and his mind screeches to a halt.

“The paladins-”

“We’ve been offline Sir, we have no way of getting a communication line out. We’ve tried, but..” Veronica sighs and pulls back onto her heels.

“The lions are there, but they’re offline too,” Iverson gruffs and he sees the rest of his crew trying to settle themselves from their battle.

It has to be some terrible dream, whatever he saw or what he thought had to be a dream. It can’t be real. _How would he explain it to their families._

“How long have I been out?” He settles with, his thoughts attempting to prioritize what is important, but the whole time his mind is screaming with worry.

“You’ve been out probably an additional 10 minutes from us, we don’t know how long we’ve been dead in the water. We see the Balmera and the structure Honerva made out there to confirm we’re back in our reality.” Veronica dishes out the facts as she curls her hands into her uniform.

The crystal glows weakly from the center of the room, the little source of light in the dead silence of space. There’s another thing past the glass screen. A planet. He doesn’t remember anything being in this part of the quadrient. Did their battle teleport everyone in the area near a planet?

As if noticing Shiro’s gaze the crystal’s energy intensifies for a moment, the structure housing the crystal hisses and draws back down. The room roars to life and is immediately drawn to the various incoming communications.

“Atlas, respond-” The MFE pilots hovering out in space, their voices filter in and he sees on the screen the ship openning it’s own hatch doors.

“We’re here, MFE’s return to your hangers,”

“Yes, sir, good to hear from you Captain.” Griffin responds with before it cuts off.

The next voice is all too familiar as the communication static clears, “Shiro, is the Atlas alright? How are the paladins? I still see the lions offline-”

The feeling in his throat comes back in full force, but he attempts to shake it off. It doesn’t do anything as his voice cracks.

“Coran, we’re fine, but I don’t know the Paladin’s statues.”

He doesn’t want to either. He just hopes they’re okay.

“Coran do you know where we might be? Or what planet that is?”

The coms are silent and Shiro thinks that the Atlas is malfunctioning, he opens his mouth to ask again but the older man cuts him off.

“It’s Altea, Shiro.”

* * *

It takes a few minutes to have all main systems to come back online and the lions are still offline when he shifts Atlas’ position, pulling the ship towards the strange structure that tore between different worlds.

He sees Coran and Sam among the figures waiting for pick-up.

It takes a few minutes before either of them are at the bridge. The MFE pilots have settled to stand among the rest of the crew.

“What do you mean that it’s Altea, wasn’t it destroyed?”  Shiro asks as soon as Coran enters the room.

“I don’t know, it appeared when we all came back from the closing the black hole tearing into this reality. Anything from the paladins?”

Shiro shakes his head, “Nothing, they might be unconscious…” he wants to avoid telling Coran about his dream, his vision of what might have been their fates.

He didn’t even get to say goodbye to them if what he experienced was real.

“Captain, the Atlas has seemed to connect with the lions video feeds,” Curtis turns for a moment, having everyone in the room freeze.

“Bring them up-"

Five screens appear, each with dots loading and connecting with said feeds.

The former paladin feels his heart drop when he sees the first monitor connect. The hue of green’s cockpit is empty. The lights and monitors are alive and shifting, showing the lion is clearly online. One by one each of the screens flicker to show an empty seat.

“Oh by the ancient,” he sees Coran sway and catch himself on the console fr support.

He hears Veronica gasp, a cry tearing through her throat as she begins to sob. Colleen and Sam are pulled into a tight embrace, both of them attempting to hold one another up.

The room has gone cold as no one can find the words to describe how they're feeling. What the paladins have sacrificed for this reality and all of those unknown to them.

“It was real,” Shiro finds himself whispering, his head drops into his hands. One lands on his shoulder but it does nothing to comfort him. The tears well up in his eyes and he’s crying, mumbling each of the paladin’s names.

He doesn’t remember the trip back to Earth.

* * *

The captain hates the hollow feeling as he sees the statues of the paladins standing tall next to one another. Their beauty captured forever as the defenders of the universe, as defender of all realities. Shiro can barely say their names now without breaking out into tears.

The five of them are carved from meteorites, a sleek marble like material that they found among the lions. Sam couldn’t identify it as anything until he compared it to atomic structure of Voltron. Parts of an interreality comet that’s been shattered into pieces. It was more than likely something that managed to slip in between various realities in their final battle to arrive in their own. It was unanimous to use the material as the base of the statutes that will be erected in their honor, both on New Altea and on Earth.

As soon as they collected the meteroties shards the lions awoke, eyes glowing as the flew planetside. At the time Shiro worried that they too would disappear along with the paladins that their last link to them would be gone, but they didn’t.

Sentient as the lions are have settled onto grassy planes which would eventually be where the new altea castle would be built. Their particle barriers have come up and haven’t disappeared since the day they settled down.

He doesn’t hear a rumble from Black or any of the lions as he ran his hand against the barrier.

He waits but still nothing.

It can’t bear the silence from them.

Atlas whispers to him from afar: _it was not your time. Wait. Wait. Wait._

She’s just as cryptic as the lions, but instead of hazy images pushed into his brain like Black had once did, she speaks in rhymes and riddles.

The last paladin of Voltron, they start to call him.

Shiro hates it.

* * *

 Shiro relives his final moments with the paladins almost twice a week. He remembers it so vividly each and every time and it never stops hurting. It never stops from making him cry when he wakes up and realizing that again he was unable to do anything.

Kosmo is curled up beside him, lifting his head for a moment when he hears Shiro suck in a breath.

The creature whines and lays his head gently across Shiro’s chest, he finds comfort there. The soft plush of Kosmo’s fur as he treads his fingers through it. He misses Keith too, everytime he finds him alone Kosmo curls around him and tries to fill some hole that the red paladin left.

Sometimes the wolf disappears in it’s cosmic light and Shiro wonders if he’s out searching for his owner, his friend.

He always comes home right before he goes to bed, finding his spot at Shiro’s side.

* * *

Krolia and Kolivan don’t take the news well. The captain sees her face at times when he closes his eyes, the pure pain that etches into her face as she crumbles and mourns her child she had found only years earlier.

Kolivan is a steady pillar of support behind her, hiding his pain as he pulls Krolia close.

The galra woman had lost both her husband and child. Shiro could only begin to imagine the damage and pain she must be feeling.

Shiro looks to the side and remembers when Keith pulled him aside one night, gushing his happiness about finding his mother. His smile was a work of art as he tells him how amazing and powerful she is. That she was everything Keith had hoped when he thought of her.

* * *

As captain of the Atlas and former, final paladin of Voltron he has responsibility to withhold their values and liberate the final planets from rogue galra control.

He throws himself at that. It’s something that’s able to distract him at least. The crew shares a look when he steps onto the bridge the first time after a month of ‘rest.’ It’s been a long time since he felt inner peace and Atlas’ presence is one he knows.

It’s good enough.

(Nothing is good enough to distract him for long.)

* * *

 When he’s alone Atlas likes to bother him the most then.

_They are lost._

She repeats it like a mantra. Switching up the phrase here and there when she thinks she’s being clever. He hears her laugh and Shiro can only wonder what she has to laugh about.

“What’s so funny?” He asks irritated from a long day of dragged out meetings and coalition treaties.

_You!_

“Seeing me suffer at these meetings are making you laugh?” He leans back in his chair, slumping as it hovers back away from his desk.

_You are the sun._

_You have to glow bright._

_Angry, you are bright._

That’s one way to put it.

* * *

A year passes and they expect him to be at their memorial.

He doesn’t go.

* * *

It’s a mistake when he tries to fill the hole in his heart with _something_.

It’s a dick move and a awful one that he uses in attempt to show normalcy. That after everything he can still have a future like everyone else.

Curtis is his victim.

For as much as a poster boy Shiro might be, he’s an ass.

It doesn’t last more than a week, before he starts to remember Keith.

Keith’s smiles.

Keith’s hands.

Keith’s voice.

And he knows that he can never find another star like Keith to replace the one he’s missing.

 _Little sun._ Atlas voice is drawn out like a sigh.

“What?” he asks, the room is a mess and he’s lazily thrown himself onto his bunk for the night.

_Why replace when you have a star._

“He’s gone Atlas, I would think he would want me to move on, but I can’t, I still love him. Even without being that way with him...I should have told him sooner.” The captain covers his eyes with the crook of his elbow and lets out a sigh.

_He is here._

Atlas probably means that Keith lives on in his heart. She’s right. That’s one place he won’t ever disappear from.

* * *

They ask him to go the second year to the remembrance.

He politely refuses this time.

Coran takes his place then, speaking warmly of each of the paladins. Turning to stare at the statutes as they stare off into the distance. A gust of wind blows through and the junaberry’s petals flutter in the wind.

The broadcast cuts to the statues behind Coran, the petals flow through and Shiro can only think about how beautiful they look.

Maybe it was time to accept that they’re truly gone.

He’s been in denial for what feels like ages. Shiro is so tired, he just wants the pain to stop.

* * *

 The third memorial for the paladins is held on planet Earth instead of Altea this time.

He agrees to it regardless of the planet its held, but appreciate the sentiment of hosting the event on the paladins home planet.

He arrives with the Atlas a week beforehand. He’s surprised to see that Krolia has arrived before him. It’s a pleasant surprise when Kosmo teleports to tackle her. She manages to stay upright, but is absolutely buried in fur thick enough to show that maybe he should get Kosmo a haircut.

The space wolf has turned into a six-foot beast, standing tall behind or besides him whenever he can. He seriously wonders when exactly the wolf will stop growing, the space on his bed is getting smaller and smaller every year.

Kosmo licks her face and flops down onto all fours, tail wagging as he rubs against her. Clearly, he’s missed her.

“Krolia, I didn’t expect you to be here yet,” Shiro says with a smile, and Atlas murmurs behind him.

_Little sun._

“I’m happy to see you as well Shiro, it’s been a long time.” She steps forward to pull Shiro into hug before he can deny her.

“It’s nice to see the man my son loved so much.” The hold tightens for a moment and Shiro should have known better that he wasn’t the only one suffering these past two years.

“Sorry for not staying in contact,” Shiro says and Krolia shakes her head.

“You’re here now, that’s what matters, Keith would have wanted you surrounded by people you love, but he would have understood you need time,” she says and Shiro wishes that he had spent more time with everyone, maybe the pain wouldn’t have been so unbearable.

* * *

Matt greets him as if he hasn’t been radio silent for the last two years ignoring everyone who was once family.

Sam and Colleen invite him to stay at their home for the week, or however long he’s staying.

He agrees, Matt breaks out into a smile and pulls him into a shoulder hug.

“I missed you dude,” the way he says it lets Shiro know how much he’s caused pain as well.

Pidge would have been upset that it took Shiro this long to notice that Matt needs support as much as he does.

The Holt’s invite all of the paladin’s families for dinner that night.

Krolia arrives first, Colleen is happy to see her. Greeting her with a hug and squeezing her arms as she leads the galra into the kitchen. Shiro never would have thought that Colleen and Krolia knew each other, and by the way they’re so comfortable around each other it’s clear enough that they’re good friends.

Coran follows right after with a jug of nunvill in hand, which causes the former paladin to shudders the thought of the taste. Sam grins ear to ear as he takes it from the altean.

“Coran,” he greets.

“It’s nice to see you number one,” the usual Coran as he tussles with his mustache. “I’m happy to see you join us we finally have everyone here, what a wonderful reunion with family.” He pats Shiro’s shoulder and gives the other a knowing wink.

The Garrett’s encumber him in bear hugs, clearly happy to finally see Shiro among them all. Telling him that he looks too skinny and needs a little more meat on his bones. It’s so clearly Hunk’s family that he can’t help but smile.

Maybe they’re right when he glances at how loose his uniform feels on his shoulders, he nods and Hunk’s mother gleams and slips him a few note cards with listed recipes. He thanks her and she says that it’s nothing. The captain can only hope he can cook them without causing the Atlas or his apartment to burn down in the future. Hunk’s mother slips away and finds the other two mothers in the kitchen, offering a hand which both of them accept gracefully.

The McClain’s arrive last, but are a force of nature when the large family enters the den. The house is filled with energy and good feelings. It’s been a while since he’s felt this fulfilled.

Lance’s nieces and nephews grin ear to ear when they see Shiro, tugging on his pants and begging him to tell them stories of Lance. He freezes and Veronica swoops in and saves Shiro from becoming a stuttering mess.

Kosmo easily takes their attention away as they marvel in awe at the beast. Climbing over him and tugging at his fur. Good thing that Keith trained the wolf so well.

Yet the interaction leaves the captain with one truth: he still can’t say any of their names.

“Hey, sorry about that, they’re still small, they don’t really understand…” she sighs and rubs her arms.

“No, no it’s quite alright, I should have been ready, I do have to talk about them in a week.” He laughs in attempt to ease the air. “At least I know what I need to work on.”

Veronica can’t seem to find the rest response to that but settles with something else, “They’re going to start serving soon, let’s go find a seat.”

The rest of the night if filled with laughter and stories.

* * *

Kosmo is curled up at his feet while Shiro struggles to think of his speech.

Nothing comes to mind. The former paladin twirls the pen in his fingers and rubs his chin. The stubble becoming more prevalent as the days passes.

He has only another four days to think of something, anything, to talk about for the event. Laying the pen down, he watches it roll for a moment before it stops.

Out of his three year journey with the paladins everything feels like a blur. All of his thoughts are jumbled into a spitball and it’s useless to pick through.

It hurts to think that he’s forgotten things about each of the paladin’s. Like how tall exactly Pidge was, or what Hunk loved to eat. Lance’s favorite pastime or Keith’s favorite spot to hide when the Castle of Lion’s was still in tact are all lost.

Maybe practicing to say their names is a start before anything.

* * *

By the end of the afternoon he’s managed to finally say Keith’s name without feeling the pit of his stomach curl up, urging him to throw up.

“Kosmo,” the wolf perks up and looks to Shiro, “What was Keith’s favorite thing to do?” Testing his name and it’s like coming home. All too familiar.

In a blink, Shiro is out in the middle of the desert.

“This isn’t what I meant Kosmo,” he drags his hand across his face.

He’s been dropped in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the pj’s on his back, no shoes at all. The dirt is cool, a tender warmth instead of a harsh one which is a blessing. At least he won’t have blisters.

The wolf wags his tail and barks, pulling him along to the cliff edge, stopping a few feet away from the ledge as he sits. Eyes flickering between Shiro and ahead of him. It takes the human a second as he watches.

His gaze automatically settles on the sunset.

“Of course,” he smiles.

Atlas even so far curls around him and speaks: _Brighter little sun._

* * *

He, Takashi Shirogane, has decided to just wing it for the paladin’s speech.

He’s struggled endlessly for days on his thoughts on what to write, asking Matt and those around him for insight and recommendations.

“Just follow what your heart tells you Shiro, Allura and the others will know that,” he frowns and rubs the place on his chest that Coran had patted. The old altean still the same even after all these years.

The speech is in going to start minutes and he’s settling behind the podium. The crowd waits quietly as the captain fumbles with adjusting the mic, it’s obvious that he’s nervous.

The camera red light blinks to life and he’s motioned to go.

It’s now or never.

“Welcome everyone to our third annual memorial for the paladins of Voltron .” He feels the tension in his shoulders ease up a little.

“I would like to start with thanking everyone who could come and those watching at home,” he eyes drift over the crowd. “This is my first time being here and I’m surprised to see how many people were waiting for me to make an appearance. But I am here to talk about five amazing pilots, paladins, defenders of the universe, and most importantly those who have become my family.”

**Author's Note:**

> there may or may not be a sequel, im terrible at posting things if they're aren't complete beforehand so no promises
> 
> VLDS8 shouldn't have happened, but I was just thinking it could have been so much more impactful if everyone you know....died and Shiro who died and came back was the only one who lived so here's that idea
> 
> im sorry


End file.
